


A Letter For A Kiss

by YoumiXxX



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Christmas Party, Dancing, Festival, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, I can't write short fic anymore I'm sorry, M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Romance, Secret Santa 2020, definitely not sorry, imaginefourswords, local writer cooked their brain in order to finish this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoumiXxX/pseuds/YoumiXxX
Summary: Sometimes, a little push is all it takes to make things a little easier.
Relationships: Shadow Link/Vio Link
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	A Letter For A Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alexlestar](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Alexlestar).



> This fic is a contribution to _imaginefourswords'_ "Secret Santa" event on Tumblr. I was _Alexlestar_ 's Secret Santa this year, and he asked for some romantic Vidow shenanigans. So, I happily complied and put this fic together. This year has been rough, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say that this year's Christmas has a slightly bitter taste to it. No big Christmas festivals. No big gatherings with family and friends. It's definitely not quite the same. That's why I chose to write something that keeps the good memories alive in these trying times and made Shadow and Vio attend the "Light Festival", which is the Hylian equivalent to Christmas. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, everyone, and a happy new year!  
> Alex, I hope you enjoy my little gift for you! :D

Vio’s night coat laid heavily on his shoulders as he sat there, smoothly pulling his quill over the brown, rustling paper. The tip drew fine black lines that shaped clean, curvy letters, assembling to words, further to sentences, and eventually to an epistle. The stack of unanswered messages had grown quite a bit on his desk over the last couple of days in which he hadn’t got the chance to sit down and tend to them appropriately. Now seemed like the right time for it. The hallways grew quiet, the sounds concentrating in the castle yard instead, where most of today’s festival’s festivities were held, giving him some peace to focus on the task. He almost felt bad that he wouldn’t be joining the others tonight, participating in the attractions and peculiarities of Hyrule’s most important holiday of the year. Still, the holiday spirits hadn’t made it through to him yet, the circumstances not allowing it, not to the degree that made it enjoyable for him anyway. His mind was still occupied from the most recent events surrounding the incident on the Village of the Blue Maiden, what had happened there, what had happened to him. 

Vio halted in his movement, the quill loosely resting in his hand, hovering above the paper. The memories slowly came crawling back, filling his inner eye with the pictures of the burning houses, the running, desperate people. The burnt wood and soil scent faded together to a thick, suffocating vapor, the taste of ash bitter on his tongue. Dread pulsed through his veins as the scene shifted nervously, a stable falling apart to his left, a young girl tearing her little, injured brother to his feet on his right. Steel and leather danced around each other in a dizzying twirl until they formed a uniform smudge of silver and brown with the orange spears of fire swaying in between. He hardly remembered any fighting, barely remembered taking a single enemy down. But the bow was securely in his hands, his arms shaking from adrenaline whenever he lifted it to draw a shot. The strongest memory he harbored was the sensation of something dull hitting his chest, the blow forceful enough to unroot his feet from the ground and making him fall, the wet dirt digging its nasty fingers into his tunic, cold and unforgiving. The sky greeted him with a somber, sad look, clouded with smoke, throwing back the reds and oranges of the burning houses, ash slowly falling on his body like snowflakes. And, when he tried to draw a needed breath, his throat seized up, a thousand needles poking holes into his lungs, leaving him to suffocate slowly. 

Back in his room, Vio nearly knocked over his ink jar as a tiny jab, similar to the stinging sensation of the arrow running through his chest, made itself noticeable, making his breath hitch in anticipation. But it was only that little jab, leaving as quickly as it had appeared. Still, the blond’s hand was on his chest, holding his injury, feeling the texture of the bandages through his shirt, the tiny threads holding his skin and flesh together. It needed a quick reminder and a couple of controlled breaths until Vio was sure that he just imagined things, and the pain he had felt a second ago was only a trickery of his subconscious mind, nothing else. Even though he was trying to convince himself that he was okay, that the injury was not as concerning as it was often portrayed to be, and that the blond was on his best way back to full recovery, he was not okay. He still struggled, was still hurting, was still not ready to face everyday life again. Sighing softly, Vio carefully removed his hand from his chest, eyes closed for a second longer, letting the remnants of his memory fade into the greys. And when he opened them again, there was only his room, alighted by gentle candlelight. He felt the slim quill with the black raven feather between his fingers, the warm coat on his shoulders, the warm air from the fireplace behind him, the earthy smell from the tea in his cup. The half-finished letter looked back at him, the delicate, curvy, elegant-looking characters catching his eye, words like ‘trade agreement’ and ‘alteration’ pulling his mind back on the original task. 

Right. Vio was writing business epistles. He shouldn’t get that easily distracted like this. Back to work. The more he managed to work through tonight, the better. Truthfully, he wouldn’t deny that his current headspace was not the most ideal for dealing with such kinds of things. Nobody was expecting it from him at given times, and neither was anyone urging him to keep working despite his poor physical condition. If there was a thing people expected him to do, it was staying in bed and rest. But that just wasn’t him. Idling away his time like this was simply a waste. Vio had thought replying to some letters shouldn’t be too much of a difficult task to accomplish. Sitting and writing weren’t straining, and using his head for word-making, not a total mental exhaust. So, he had thought. But already after the second letter, he quickly noticed that it wasn’t all too easy after all. 

Unsure how to proceed with the sentence that he had stopped at, his light-colored eyes darting the paper and lines with a hollow, slightly distant stare. Suddenly, the sound of loud cheering pushed through his mind, pulling him away from continuing to write once more. The noise came from outside, faintly sneaking through the tiny gaps of his window along the quiet falls of the snowflakes touching the glass and melting by the heat radiating from the inside. 

_The festival seems to be in full charge already…_ Vio figured, his gaze flicking over to his bed and the gown that had been placed over a chair for him by the maid. ‘A gift from the queen,’ she had said dismissively, not pulling her eyes away from the pompous gown and running her hand over the soft, clean fabric in vivid satisfaction. She had taken extra precaution while putting it over the chair, watching out for any wrinkles that might occur. The royal tailor had gone to expenses making this uniform for him for today’s special occasion. They made a topcoat of charming, silky fabric that gave the overall piece a sleek shine in the lights of the fire, tinted a warm shade of lilac that would compensate for his cool, pale complexion, fair hair, and light-blue eyes. The shoulders were cut in an angle, reaching out further than necessary, adding more width and giving the silhouette an hourglass-like shape. The swatch was unobtrusive, just faint, very tiny embroideries of the silent princesses just a hue darker to fade seamlessly into the fabric. In contrast to the warm purples, the edges were finished with silver trim, finishing the bottom and stretching up to a mandarin collar. More silver buttons decorated the piece, some in the front to close the coat, and more on the cuffs to make the sleeves sit nice and snug around his wrists. The undercoat was made out of warm sheep wool to shield him from the frosty temperatures outside, not adding more volume to the bodice and making it seem artificially bulky. Along with the gown, the maid had brought matching pants and undergarment, gloves, and a silver brooch embodying the holy bird of the royal family’s emblem to hold his white fur cloak in place. 

So much effort went into the making of this gown. It was a real shame Vio wouldn’t be wearing it tonight. Someone would surely be eager to see it on him, someone specific. And thinking of this particular someone, just then, there was a knock on the door, a playful one from which the cause was easy to distinguish. More distractions were about to follow. If that kept up, he wouldn’t be making any more progress with the letters tonight. 

“Come in!”

As Vio spoke -his quill soundlessly sliding back into the ink jar- the door opened with a gentle squeak, a few rays of hallway’s light making it into the shadowy spaces where the fire’s glow didn’t reach. In stepped Shadow, the usual quirky smile sitting on his lips as their gazes met. A light bounce crept into his gait as he casually made his way over to him, chipper and excited as Vio had noticed it to be for pretty much the entire week. He spotted the rather formal attire the young man sported quickly before he even got the chance to mention it. 

“I see, the tailor has provided you with more festive clothes as well,” Vio pointed out, taking in the proud smile Shadow was giving away before he raised his arms to the sides, making a little twirl on the spot to demonstrate the new gown from every angle. 

“Indeed. I’ve been dying to wear one of these clothes for a while, seeing how you and the others always get to wear them on those fancy dinners with the high and mighty. They are really spiffy, but-” Shadow made a step forward towards Vio, hands reaching up to fiddle with his collar, which sat a little too tight around his neck for comfort. Demonstrating the low range of movement, he also rocked his shoulders back and forth a minor, the furious wiggling staying at a minimum. “-maybe a little too pretentious for my tastes. And not very ideal for combat. It’s kinda hard to move in this. Feels like I’m having a stick tied to my back. And is there a reason those collars are so uncomfortably tight? I don’t want to hold my breath all night.” The things mentioned weren’t particularly new to Vio since he was already familiar with the odds of formal clothing at court. However, the way Shadow whined and complained while randomly picking on the expensive, probably very delicate, silk was still entertaining to watch. But the blond decided to spare him further discomfort and waved him closer, reaching up to undo the button on his collar and tugging it into place so it wouldn’t press on his neck. 

“Gowns like this don’t really serve the purpose of functionality except for looking pretty. Or have you seen a duke swinging a sword with his super heavy ermine cloak before?” Vio explained under a brief chuckle, continuing to adjust the one or the other imperfection on the man’s outfit, like the scarf that looked a little messy and the wrinkles around the waist belt. While he was already on it, he used the opportunity to examine the gown more precisely. The cut was similar to his, with the wide shoulder pads and the back fabric reaching down to his knees’ pits. Running his fingers over the topcoat, he noticed that the silky shine was not actually coming from silk. The texture was rougher, sturdier, tinted black as the ink in his jar with only some uniform embroidery giving it more dimension. Feathers decorated the shoulders, adding a sleek sheen to the top, and instead of wool, dark fur peeked out from under the collar. The trim was golden, as were the buttons and a few decorative chains over his chest. 

It was… new seeing Shadow like this, but by no means weird. He looked rather attractive, in an intimidating kind of way. 

“It suits you,” he uttered, gaze lifted to throw a soft smile up to his lover, fingers hooked under the coat to feel the texture of the warm fur stuffing the clothes. Shadow seemed pleased, one corner of his mouth twitching up to a playful smirk.

“You like it?”

“Yes,” he admitted truthfully. “It’s flattering. Definitely goes well with your usual dark aesthetic.” Despite Shadow’s best attempt to not show his embarrassment, he still blushed the slightest, wiggling out of Vio’s grasp and brushing his hand off in denial. 

“Nah, it looks dapper and all, but it’s not me, you know? Splendor and I don’t go well together.” Which didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the compliment regardlessly, but Shadow wouldn’t consent to that, of course. “Anyway, speaking of gowns, I can’t help but notice that you aren’t wearing yours yet.” Following his cheeky remark, Shadow eyed the uniform still neatly hung over the chair near the bed before trailing his gaze back to the blond on the desk with a questioning frown. “Don’t you want to get changed? I was going to pick you up for the festival. The others are already there.” 

Indeed, he would. This was Shadow’s first Light Festival that he could attend ever since his resurrection five years ago. His new-found light endurance finally made it possible, seeing how this was a festival about… light. Even though there was no sunlight, Shadow couldn’t stand staying there for too long without his powers draining to a dangerous degree. This year, he would be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest and not only catch a few glimpses here and there. And it was only natural that he would want the blond at his side while doing so. And here, Vio was at a loss for words, unsure how to explain why he didn’t want to join. 

“I- uhm…” he began hesitantly, avoiding the other’s eyes. “I’m not sure if- if I really want to go.” 

“Why?” Shadow asked, understandably confused. “Are you not feeling well?” 

“No, it’s not that. I just… everything still feels very overwhelming, and I don’t think I would make a decent company for you if I constantly keep deviating. You should have a good time and enjoy yourself and-” A heavy sigh left Vio’s lips as he felt himself digress, unsure if he was genuinely getting his feelings across or if it sounded more like a cheap excuse. “I don’t want to spoil the moment for you just because I’m still slightly out of it.” Shadow looked anything put approving, red eyes narrowed in a skeptical look, arms crossing loosely in front of his chest. 

“Nonsense! You wouldn’t spoil the moment for me! I get that it’s not easy, even though I can’t relate to how you are feeling right now. But-” His mien turned sour, jaw tight, lips bent downwards in displeasure. “-this is our first Light Festival together. I’ve been so excited to spend the evening with you. You’ll spoil the moment for me if you don’t come at all rather than being a little weird around people.” 

“Yes, but-”

“And you have to get back under people eventually, right? What a better way than going to a festival? I’ll be around you all the time and keep a good eye on you. If it gets too much, I can always bring you back to your chambers.” 

“Shadow-” Vio interrupted almost desperate sounding, his hand reaching up to rub the side of his face in a suffering kind of fashion. He did offer good points. Everything he said wasn’t particularly wrong, but how was he supposed to ease up and enjoy himself and make sure his lover was having a good time when his mind was just not in the right place for anything festive? He didn’t have a lever in his head that he could switch on and off as he pleased. Dealing with his trauma needed time and patience. Forcing things would only make things worse. And the last thing he wanted was to suffer through another breakdown that would ruin the entire evening for both of them. “I know all that, and you are right with everything you have said, but I wouldn’t decline going out with you if I wasn’t certain that I can’t manage to deal with so many people and- loud noises right now.” Despite his reasoning, Shadow still remained skeptical, nodding his head at the rolls of parchment paper scattered all over his desk. 

“And you think this is better?” The judgmental sound of his voice made Vio shrink in discomfort. “I thought the nurse told you to rest?”

“I am resting-”

“No, you’re not. You are working. Again,” Shadow made clear, raising a thick, purple brow for emphasis. “If you would rest like the nurse had told you to do, then you’d be lying in your bed, sleeping or reading. It doesn’t matter. But now, you are on your desk writing letters, which -for my understanding- defines itself as working.”

“I needed a distraction-”

The man smirked widely, the hardness in his features dripping away like molten butter, a slight trace of triumph glistening against his eyes. “Then you can come to the festival with me. That’s also a distraction. A much better one if I may say so.” 

_Goddesses preserve, not this again…_ Now, they had moved over to the convincing game, which made the already bubbling frustration in Vio’s chest boil furiously. A pointless discussion like this was the last thing he needed. It would all resolve in Shadow twisting his every word until he would get his will. But he wouldn’t budge that easily. 

“Shadow, I’m serious-”

“So am I.” A heated, not very friendly comment rested on his tongue, but he swallowed it, stopping himself from getting offensive. 

“I- I wouldn’t stand you up for no reason, you know me, and this is as good of a distraction as I can handle right now. Going to a festival is completely different.” 

“So, if I get you correctly, you would pick work over me?” 

“No!” Vio exclaimed in utter disbelief, face wilting in shock. “I would never-” 

“But it’s exactly what you are doing right now, or am I wrong here?” Now it had switched over to the guilty game, and this one was a hard one to win. Not waiting for his reply, Shadow reached over to the desk, picking up one of the delicate parchment rolls that still needed a written response. He picked it up, unrolling it, and quickly skimmed through the lines. “Bloody darkness, how can you even deal with his high-born gibberish? That’s not a distraction. It simply causes me headaches.” Distasteful, Shadow tossed the roll back onto Vio’s desk, sighing out in annoyance with his hands digging into his midriff.

“Seriously, Vio, you can’t hide in your room forever. You have to get back under people at some point,” Shadow spoke, this time with concern weighing his speech down, eyes dropped to a somber look. “Yes, I know it’s only been a week, the memories are still fresh, and you are in pain, but you deserve to enjoy yourself despite everything. It wasn’t easy for me, too. Seeing you like this in the infirmary. I-” His voice clipped as he swallowed a strangled sob, jaw quivering, hands slipping from his waist. “I really thought I lost you for good this time.” 

“Shadow…” Vio watched on as Shadow sank on one knee before him, reaching out to clasp the blond’s tender hands with his own, red eyes big as he gazed up at him in a wordless plea. 

“Come to the festival with me. I’ve already been there with Red. It’s beautiful. The decoration, the different colored lights, the music, the pastries’ smells, and the hot punch. You will love it! And I’m sure the others will be happy to see you, too. It will get your mind off of things for a little bit.” Vio hesitated, averting his eyes shyly. “It’s Hyrule’s most important holiday, and it’s my first time being there. But the only thing that truly makes it special for me is you. So please, come see it with me, together.” 

Vio sighed out in defeat, shoulders slouching. How could he say no now? He still felt a strong revulsion residing in his chest from the mere thought of being in public again so soon, but maybe Shadow was right. He couldn’t hide forever. Life had to go on at some point, and all the pain and fear would be forgotten. A little push was often necessary to get him back on track, so he might as well use that little push now. 

“Okay,” he said under a faint nod, gently squeezing Shadow’s hands back. “I’m coming with you, but… only until the end of the lantern ceremony, alright?” With great satisfaction, he watched the delight spread all over Shadow’s face. 

“Wonderful!” he exclaimed in vivid excitement. “You should get changed then. I’ll pick you up near the gates once you’re done.” Back on his feet, the man leaned down, pressing a small peck on the blond’s cheeks. 

“I’ll be there.” He trailed off, losing a quick glance over to the still unfinished letter. “I just finish this letter here really quickly before getting ready.” However, Shadow thought otherwise and picked up the ink jar before Vio even got the chance to reach for his quill.

“You’ll have plenty of time for this later, and -just for good measure- I’ll take these along, so you’re not getting any ideas.” That said, Shadow retreated from his room, missing the roll of Vio’s eyes from behind. So much about writing epistles.

-

It was strange finding the castle hallways so empty since they were usually still fairly crowded and busy around this time of the day. Not that it would bother Vio much. Seeing too many faces at once would probably only result in further discomfort than he was already dealing with from the simple thought of attending the festival with everyone in the castle that even partially knew who he was, being there: The knights, all the maidens, the members of the high council, the high and mighty guests from all over Hyrule. Truthfully, it shouldn’t be this conflicting on him. Everyone knew what had happened back in the Village of the Blue Maiden, how awfully things went down with the investigation, and how many men got hurt thanks to his horrible miscalculations, and it should be okay. He wasn’t flawless either. Mistakes could happen at any time. Yet still, he wasn’t ready to accept and face the truth. What kind of light would it cast on him, as the queen’s most trusted strategist, knowing that he had led his men into misery? 

The further he walked -the gate closing in in the distance- the more he felt he should retreat, go back to his chambers, and hide. Hide from his responsibility. Hide from the shame awaiting him once the public’s attention was back on him. But it had to be done. As Shadow had said: He couldn’t hide forever. The sooner he came to terms with things, the better. 

Vio released a long, tense sigh within his circling thoughts, his hands nervously fiddling with his cuffs, continuing to stuff the gloves underneath, so his wrists wouldn’t get cold. His uniform hugged him tightly, almost comfortingly. Still, he couldn’t help but feel stiff and unwieldy -the same way Shadow had described it earlier- with his fur cloak occasionally brushing his hamstrings. The air against his cheeks, nose, and lips grew icier by the second, his breaths forming white clouds that could as well resemble smoke in the glow of the torches to his right. Not too long, the first tones of music began to touch his ears, a warm smell coming his way, buttery and sweet, creeping along his nostrils until a faint picture started to come together in his head - stick bread. A few steps further, more noises became apparent, the hollow rushing of words, the ringing of bells, cheering. And once he got close enough, his vision was addled with light, the whole plaza before him illuminated in the most stunning colors there were. The entire ceiling glowed with millions of candles that had been attached on wires in laborious work, replacing the stars that could not be seen through the dense snow clouds covering the sky. Lanterns made of paper and willows in all shapes and sizes guided the way into the market with its small wooden stands decorated with fir, holy ornaments, and golden and silver garlands. Vio watched the people scurrying in between, wintery, festive gowns clothing their bodies, as they swayed back and forth between the stands and attractions, carrying goods and edibles with them. And this was only a small section. Most likely, there was even more to see once he dove right into the festivities. 

Just the sight alone was already enough to make Vio forget why he had been so worried. How could he have forgotten how gorgeous the festivals on the castle grounds were? 

“They couldn’t have picked an even more pretentious gown for you, could they?” 

Vio nearly caught himself startling as he was addressed so suddenly, his head flinging sideways to where the noise came from. One of the guards was looking at him, at least judging from the way the helmet was slightly twisted on the bulky body of iron plates and chainmail the man sported. The voice was muffled, kind of echoic thanks to the helmet, but still had a familiar ring. 

“Excuse me?” Vio replied in confusion, brows drawn together to a quizzical look. The guard responded with a huff before reaching up and raising his ventail. A pair of deep blue eyes gazed back at him through a few dirty blond strands of hair, almost mockingly, and it took Vio one more look until he recognized the supposed guard as Blue. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Obviously,” Blue quipped, rolling his eyes for emphasis. “Who else did you expect?”

“No one, in particular, to be candid.” Despite Blue’s somewhat confrontational nature, he decided to call the matter finished, taking a brief look up and down Vio’s form now that his ventail wasn’t restricting his vision. It was hard to read any emotion from the man’s face, given that only a small portion of it was visible due to the slit in the helmet. Still, the blond had the vague presumption that he appeared rather concerned, which made sense. They hadn’t seen each other since the attack.

“It’s good to see you,” Blue said upright, his voice carrying something somber. “How are you? I hope Magari is taking good care of you.” 

“I’m fine,” it came out on reflex, not really he was genuinely feeling this way. Blue probably knew that and raised a skeptical brow at him, which disappeared behind the steel helmet and made it look unintentionally weird. “As best as I can be, all things considered. I don’t rely a lot on Magari anymore, but she still comes by to check on the wound and bring my medicine.” Processing the information, Blue attempted to make a nod, but the ventail fell shut almost instantly, forcing a bothered groan over the knight’s lips as he pushed it open again. Vio tried not to laugh, even though it looked reasonably amusing.

“That’s good to hear. You really got me scared there for a hot minute, you know,” Blue stated, tapping the blunt side of his spear against the ground as he switched hands. “I really thought you’d kick the bucket this time. I’m still having a hard time sleeping when I think back to when we brought you back to the castle. Phew, it’ll probably still take some time until I get these noises out of my head. This whole incident was a giant mess. Nobody saw that coming. I guess we can be glad that we all made it out alive somehow.” 

“Yeah,… right.” There was the first prick, just faint, but it was there. Blue had led the main troop on the defensive, and it was probably thanks to him that they had managed to keep the upper hand in the battle and not totally succumb to chaos. Vio felt like an apology was due, knowing that Blue hadn’t made it out of this battle unharmed, just not as bad as him. If he looked closely, he could see a small piece of bandaid peek out from the side of his helmet. His memory of his injuries was faint, but from what he had heard, the knight was called down from duty for a few days as well. 

“Blue I-,” Vio muttered, heaving an encouraging breath before proceeding. “About what happened in the Village of the Blue Maiden-” He was interrupted almost immediately, Blue raising his hand in a silent gesture to stop him from proceeding. 

“I know what you’re going to say,” Blue spoke instead. “Whatever went wrong down there, none of this is your fault. You did what you could, and if it wasn’t for you, probably everything would have ended way worse. The village was saved, and no one died. That’s all that matters.” 

“Still-” Unsure how to respond, Blue took over once more, clasping his frail shoulder with his massive, iron glove hand that made his form stagger a little among impact. 

“Today is a holiday, Vio. Let’s not talk about that now, okay? You go and have fun, alright?” Following his words, Blue nodded in the direction of the market, squeezing his shoulder a little tighter, intending to infuse the blond with some security before letting go, waving him off. “I’m sure Shadow is already thrilled. Better don’t keep him waiting.” The remark on his lover left him smiling faintly. 

“What? You noticed?”

“Are you kidding? This guy has been all over the place for the entire week, being excited and gushing and, ugh, I can’t stand it anymore.” A light chuckle escaped Vio’s lips. Yes, he could see that happen. 

“What about you? Are you not going to attend the festival for yourself?” 

“Do I look like it?” Blue pointed out, his ventail falling shut on command. He tore it open in a fury, cursing bloody murder. “I swear to Hylia, I’m gonna rip this ventail off my helmet and toss it all across Castle Town. Anyway-” A long sigh left him before he proceeded. “You see, the flu is currently going around. Most of the regular watches are in the sickbay sweating their fevers out, and they are slowly running out of men. So, I had to assist, which means I’ll enjoy the festival from up here and slowly grow nuts from the smell of hot pie whiffing over here.” Vio cast a pitying look at Blue at the remark, a faint smile on his lips. 

“I could offer you to bring some over if you like.” The offer seemed appreciated, but the man waved it off with a vague gesture of his hand. 

“If eating during duty was a thing, I’d gladly come back to that.” 

The knight’s eyes flicked to his left, a short-lived hint of surprise crossing his features before he shut his ventail and got back into position. Vio remained puzzled for a second about the sudden end of this conversation until he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Shadow, flashing him a wide, radiant smile. 

“There you are! You sure took your sweet time coming here,” he exclaimed happily, using the moment to let his eyes trail over the blond, regarding the gown. He paused for the moment, not pulling his analyzing gaze away before lifting his head, the former excitement turning to adoration. “You- look more stunning than I had hoped for.” Vio dipped his head in a flustered fashion, his lips bending to a soft, coy smile upon a quiet thanks, feeling the other man’s hand reach for his own. 

“Shall we go then?” Despite the still remaining nervousness, Vio tried to seek some comfort from Blue’s encouraging words and nodded meaningfully. Shadow was pleased, his grin growing wider, nearly touching the tips of his pointed ears, it seemed. “Okay, let’s go.” As Shadow began to pull him along, he lost one last glance at Blue, unmoving and disciplined. Still, he was confident that he was most likely rolling his eyes at the display under his helmet. So, he kept it brief and nodded a wordless farewell at him in case they shouldn’t meet again tonight. 

Once the market started to rise around them, Shadow offered his arm for him, holding up a more discreet facade in front of the other courtiers. Vio took it gladly, one hand resting on his elbow, the other looped around Shadow biceps. It was a small gesture, but it gave him the security that he needed to not let his fears get the best of him. They picked a slow pace, enough to make progression, but also giving Vio plenty of room to observe the different stands and decide whether he wanted to take a closer look or not. However, looking from afar was enough to still his curiosity for now. 

Here in the first section, merchants sold different goods from all over Hyrule. One stand provided everything that was made out of honey and beeswax. Another one showed exotic fabrics and carpets from Gerudo. The one next to it had furs in all sizes, colors, and shapes. Then followed a slightly more peculiar stand with a dubious merchant selling potions. It wasn’t entirely clear what kind of brews the man sold, but Vio was too wary of stepping closer and letting himself get talked into trying one of those questionable breweries. The whole way to the fountain, which was the center of this market, continued on with all sorts of peculiarities from all over the lands. Vio found himself fascinated, occasionally stopping to look more closely or actually considering to buy something. Until now, he remained empty-handed, but that was alright. 

Of course, the market was well-frequented, many people coming together, including those that knew him personally. However, the hostility that he had feared so severely didn’t come. The courtiers were polite, bowed whenever he passed, left him with their get-wells, and wished him a quick recovery. It was almost touching how much they seemed to care. Vio was dumbfounded by how foolish he had been to assume that, after the incident, people would have nothing left for him other than name and shame. Maybe the time alone in the infirmary and his chambers had messed with his head too much, had tugged at his self-esteem until he had lost all reason, had aroused unnecessary worry. Truthfully, he wasn’t wrong often, but now he was relieved to be mistaken for a change. 

“And?” Shadow asked, the fountain on the end of the market already in eyesight. “Is it as bad as you thought it would?” 

“No,” Vio said genuinely, sighing out lightly through his lips. “It’s- actually quite nice.” 

The pair stopped at the fountain for a brief moment, Shadow excitedly tugging at the blond’s sleeve and pointing at the weird, glowing bubbles surrounding the statue of the mighty Three, glowing in all different colors from red to purple. The statue’s pedestal was also wrapped with garland, pine, and fir branches laid to the goddesses’ feet. Silver blue yarn was woven around Nayru’s jug like a fishnet, the water pouring from it frozen in motion, wilting strangely as it touched the surface of the fountain. Din held a little lantern in her cupped hands, the flame inside glowing in a bright red. And Farore’s body was decorated with mistletoes, spiraling around her chest and arms and fading into the frozen fountain that had been filled with all sorts of winter flowers. 

“What are those weird bubbles floating around here?” Shadow asked, eyeing one specific purple bubble that flew by right before his face. Vio reached out carefully, making the magical sphere stick to his gloved hand, and pulled it closer for the other to examine it. 

“It’s a spell caused by light spirits. They are called ‘tears of light’,” Vio explained, taking some joy from the way Shadow seemed so fascinated by that small glowing bubble in his hand. “They get attracted by the flowers here. You can’t see them, but the light spell shows that they are collecting around here.” Testingly, Shadow guided his pointed a finger at the sphere, attempting to poke it gently. Surprisingly, the glowing ball seemed to flinch away from the touch and quivered nervously before floating back to the fountain and disappearing among the others. A shadow touching a sphere of light - quite a peculiar sight to behold.

“That’s so weird,” the man uttered in amazement, watching Vio’s little captive float away again. He then reached down and picked a flower from the frozen fountain, drying off the excess moisture with his handkerchief. “So, if they get attracted by the flowers here…” Slowly, he reached for the brooch Vio sported. “Can I?” After Vio had nodded his consent, Shadow tried to stuff the flower into the free space between the emblem and the needle attached to the clothes, making sure it sat nice and securely. That done, Shadow made a step back, looking expectantly. Vio remained slightly quizzical, unsure what his lover was trying to achieve with this. But then, one of the glowing bubbles started to pull away from the rest and began circling around his head in excitement. This glowed in a bright light-blue.

“Oh…” It was… silly child play, nothing else. But truth be told, he had him there, and Vio couldn’t stop a laugh from escaping him, much to Shadow’s delight. And out of sheer shenanigans, he decided to keep the flower and let the light sphere follow him everywhere they went. Finally, Vio felt himself ease up a little. Maybe he could have some fun tonight after all.

After some more snickering and joking around, they continued on their ways, following the path down the food stands, smells of all kinds whiffling over from every direction possible. Pastries, in all shapes and flavors, filled with jam or whipped cream, coated with powdered sugar or maybe colorful sprinkles. Sweets, over simple rock candy to chocolate-glazed fruits and nuts, roasted almonds, honey-flavored sugar canes. Gingerbread, as little gingerbread manikins or enormous houses decorated with wine gums and sugar glazing. Roasted meats and fish in every corner. It was hard to just pass by without holding, mouth-watering, and letting the gazes linger for a moment longer. Shadow could convince Vio to buy him the one or other thing he wanted, and since it was Vio, he couldn’t pass without picking up the one or the other candy. And when the stands started to disperse themselves on the end of the road, he felt slightly nauseous from all the good things he had eaten on the way. 

The dense smells of food started to fade away and went over to slightly less inveigling ones. In fact, it mostly smelled like straw and horse around here, which made sense since this was the area where the courtiers’ children could spend their time riding for a little bit. And judging by all the excited, begging faces gathering in front of the fence, it was quite the successful attraction, and many were eager to get the chance to sit on one of the three horses. Unsurprisingly, Red was among the knights managing the riding grounds, ushering the small ones closer for pets, feeding the animals, and guiding the horse around for a little ride inside the fence. However, all that was forgotten when Vio and Shadow came into view and -with an expression as bright as the sun- the young knight came rushing over, nearly tripping over the fence in his flurry. 

“Vio! You actually came!” Red called out cheerfully, flinging his arms around the blond in genuine excitement, his embrace as tight as a bear’s. “I’m so happy to see you!” As heartwarming and appreciated as the greeting was, Vio found himself overwhelmed by how fast the air was knocked out of his lungs with the impact, the hug a little too tight around his middle for comfort. Thankfully, Shadow stepped in before things could escalate and pushed Red off a few feet, saving Vio further pain. 

“You too, Shadow!” The greeting routine was repeated once more before Red had had his fair share of physical contact and slipped away, eyeing both of them with big, joyous eyes. “Wow! This gown looks good on you! Did Oleanna make it for you?” The purple-haired replied with a broad, proud smile and a casual shrug, presenting the clothes briefly with another smooth turn on the spot. “It’s amazing. Now you can have a slight taste of what it feels like to be superior, too.”

“Eh, I’m not a huge fan of them, to be honest. Way too uncomfortable for my tastes.” Red chuckled softly in response. 

“Yes, I figured. Have you tried riding in these clothes? Awful, I tell you!” Then, the smaller knight’s attention was back on Vio, his mien mild and caring. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the time to visit you at least once after you came back from Lanayru. I was so busy helping with the preparations for the festival. How are you? Do you get enough sleep?” 

“I’m fine for the most part,” Vio replied truthfully, not feeling the need to extend on the details. “Still uh- trying to get back into things, but I think I’ll manage.”

“That’s good to hear.” Sighing out in relief, Red straightened up a little, bringing his hands behind his back while rocking back and forth on his heels. “Oh, now that I think of it! Have you seen Green anywhere?”

“Green?” Vio voiced, exchanging a glance with Shadow, who seemed just as clueless as him. Actually, he hadn’t seen Green for a whole month now that he thought about more closely, recalling that their vice-captain had left for the Death Mountain outpost to deal with things. “No, I haven’t. Isn’t he supposed to be near Death Mountain anyway?”

“He implied that he wanted to be back for the holidays in his latest letter,” Red explained. “Maybe something came in between after all.”

“Maybe there is just a little delay. The roads haven’t been particularly kind these days with all the heavy snowstorms going on,” Shadow proposed, earning Vio’s consent with a soft nod of his head. “Let’s wait and see. I’m sure he’ll show up eventually.” 

“Let’s hope for that. Oh-!” Suddenly, a couple of children approached their little gathering. A little girl closed in from one side to carefully tug on the knight’s sleeve, another boy coming from the other side to reach for his hand and pulling him back towards the riding grounds. With that, Red excused himself and returned to his task, wishing both of them a happy holiday on the run. 

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for some hot punch now,” Shadow announced, inviting Vio in to join him as he continued on, his destination the large tent on the other end of the market. The white tarp barely let an orange shine through, giving the idea that it might be relatively warm in there. That was fine with Vio. It was starting to get a little cold, and some hot punch to heat the body from the inside sounded quite nice, too. After all the candy and the dry pastry, he definitely needed a drink. “How about you?” 

“Sure,” he replied, a blithe grin resting on his lips. “As long as you’re not trying to steal from my cup again.” Shadow feigned offense first, giving his shoulder a little push. Still, Vio remained unimpressed and simply drew closer, pressing the other’s arm firmly against his chest, while exchanging a light-hearted peel of laughter.

-

Hours flew by fast inside the tent, the music and the loud buzzing from all the courtiers around, creating a festive, carefree atmosphere that made time seem completely irrelevant. When they had arrived first, things were still relatively calm and easygoing, people coming and leaving with their cups of hot punch and warm cider, either collecting in small groups or pairs. Eventually, the band started playing dancing music, and the allover mood began to turn buoyant. Men and women rushed towards the dancefloor, chanting and clapping and tapping shoes against stone fusing with the music’s rhythm. The positivity exuding was infectious, and Vio didn’t stay untouched by it. Unsurprisingly, the punch was delicious as always, comforting and sweet, and enough to warm him thoroughly. So, his fur cloak was put aside at some point. It wasn’t like anyone bothered for a complete dress-up anyway, and the risk of getting red juice spilled all over the white fur was too great. 

After the second cup of hot punch, friends from the knight’s guard that were not on duty tonight had joined them, inviting them for a few rounds of Nine Men’s Morris. It wasn’t a particularly eventful game -not as much as chess in Vio’s eyes- but it was fun, and Shadow took great joy in collecting all the bets he set on his lover, much to the other knights’ frustration. The gambling went on and on for a significant amount of time, none of them getting bored any time soon until Vio sat aside for a break -Shadow taking over the game instead- and a new face approached their little round, seeking the blond’s attention. To everyone’s surprise, the newcomer revealed himself as Green; all huddled up in his leather armor and snow sprinkled coats from the long way home, nose and cheeks flushed red from the cold. 

“I beg pardon, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” the vice-captain said upon pulling his hat and scarf off, running his hand through his messy curls. “But I’ve been rather eager to meet you after so long. Feels like it has been ages ago!” 

“Green!” Vio exclaimed happily, jumping up from the bench to be pulled into a big, brotherly hug. Carefully, he unraveled himself from the man’s arms, keeping his hands on his shoulders. “Hylia, bless you! Have you been sprinting all across Hyrule Field to get here on time? I’m glad you could make it!” 

“Hylia bless _you_ , mate!” Green returned enthusiastically, his mien fading into a grave sort of look, eyes darkened with worry. So he knew. Red had probably spread the news to him while exchanging letters. “Red told me everything. Are you doing better? Everything is still attached? Are you eating well? Is the wound-” Before he had the chance to pile up more questions, Vio quickly silenced him with a soft shake of his head, putting on a gentle smile. 

“All is good,” he summed up briefly. This was the third time someone had asked about his well-being during the festival. He would lie if he said that he wasn’t starting to grow tired of it. So, this was as good of an answer as he was willing to provide for the moment. Continually picking on his health was starting to kill the mood. “I’m fine. Everyone is fine. Nothing to worry about.” Watching the relief spread across Green’s face, Vio reached over to the table, picking up his cup and holding it out for the other to take a sip. “Here, treat yourself, will you? You look like you could use some.” Pleased with the offer, Green carefully removed the vessel from his hand, raising it for a quick toast. 

“You’re too kind. On your health!” Happily, Green downed the beverage like he hadn’t had a single drop of water in weeks, handing the empty cup back before walking over and greeting Shadow as well. He hugged him from behind with his arm tightly looped around him, so he wouldn’t have to sit up seeing how he was still engaged in the running game. 

“Shadow! Hylia, bless you!” he greeted him cheerfully, losing a glance at the playboard, observing the currently running game. “I hope you’re winning, no? Too bad I’m short on money for gambling.”

“Bless you, man! Good to have you back at the base,” Shadow replied, giving Green’s shoulder a firm yet friendly nudge. “You bet I am! I’m going to be rich by the end of tonight!” The comment was accompanied by some amused snickering and the one or the other vulgar, yet good-natured, insult from the one or the other knight. Satisfied and happy to see that his friends were having a good time, Green implied to leave, for now, pointing his thumb at the tent’s exit.

“I guess I will go look for Blue now. I think he is hiding from me on purpose. Do you know where I can find him by any chance?” 

“Check out the gate,” Vio said, sinking back on the bench with a non so graceful hiss and a hand reaching up to hold his stinging side. Any attempt from Green to help him was brushed off casually. He wouldn’t be a knight after all if he couldn’t deal with a little bit of pain here and there. “He is on guarding duty.”

“Guarding duty?” the other exclaimed in disbelief, already halfway skipped into motion. “How dare Blue go on guarding duty on a holiday? Oh, you bet I’m going to drag his bloody ass over here. He’s not going to skip the Light Festival like that.” The comment made Vio smirk, a hand raised to wave the man goodbye. 

“Good luck with that!” 

And with Green’s departure, things started to grow gradually calmer, more and more courtiers taking their leave to prepare for the lantern ceremony or begin their long journeys home to meet their families in the countryside. The last hour before midnight had come, and to set the right mood among the people, the band began playing some slower tunes to gently sway and swoon to. And who would Shadow be if he wouldn’t use that opportunity? Not showing further interest in the game, he pushed himself off the bench, adjusting his gown before holding his hand out to Vio. 

“May I?” However, instead of the enthusiasm he had hoped for, he earned himself some confusion first - until he suggestively nodded his head towards the dancefloor. Vio blushed a little, avoiding the other’s wide, expectant eyes. 

“Shadow…” he whispered shyly. “Everyone is watching-”

“So?” Shadow uttered along with a smirk. “What does it matter? Let them see us then.”

“It’s embarrassing-”

“Loving each other is not embarrassing, beautiful.” _Goddesses, curse his smooth silver-tongue and sugary sweet words._ Vio blushed a little more, releasing a coy peel of laughter, not only because it was incredibly cheesy but not wrong in a way. He just wasn’t the guy to openly present himself and his feelings towards Shadow to everyone. “Come dance with me.” But how could he possibly resist? Oh well, it wasn’t like they had secrets in front of everyone. A little bit of public display of affection shouldn’t offend anyone. 

“Okay, then.” 

Despite the slight discomfort, Vio let himself get pulled over to the dancefloor, sparsely filled compared to earlier. Dancing was… more of an unnecessary evil to him, not his most favorite activity to attend during festivals and more prominent festivals. However, he had learned to appreciate slow-dancing with Shadow. The way the other held his hips, so softy, rocking them gently to the tunes and guiding him across the floor almost effortlessly like the blond was floating in his arms. Again, he felt his firm grasp on him, felt the weight disappear from his feet, and he leaned forward, arms loosely laying on top of the man’s biceps, his head resting against his shoulder. Vio tried to relax, taking in the band’s tranquilizing tunes, letting their surroundings fade away, ignoring the curious glances cast their way. In contrast, Shadow took the lead and slowly maneuvered them across the room. 

That… was actually not half bad. Vio could enjoy it - maybe more than he ought to admit.

“And? That bad?” Shadow teased. 

“Horrible,” Vio replied, unable to suppress a cheeky smirk. “Worst experience ever.” If he didn’t know any better, Shadow was most likely rolling his eyes at him now. Could he hear him smirk while he spoke? It almost seemed too obvious that the blond was actually enjoying himself, which -if he thought closely about it- he definitely didn’t see coming starting today. But that was all the physical strain he was able to muster, and which he was gladly taking for this. 

While swaying so so gently through the tent, Vio lost a curious glance to a table in the back, seeing Green sitting there with a big cup of punch, accompanied -to his surprise- by Blue. Still in his armor and not even bothering to pull the helmet off, he furiously dug into a big slice of hot pie and meat skewers. Good to know Blue wouldn’t be going to bed with an empty stomach tonight. Their gazes met for a brief moment, and the knight gave him a big thumbs-up, which left Vio to only roll his eyes in anticipation. However, he received some satisfaction as Blue tried to take a big bite from his skewer. And just before the meat touched his lips, his ventail fell shut once again. 

The blond huffed quietly into Shadow’s shoulder, only mentally shaking his head to not disturb the moment, only hearing the muted curses in the distance and metal clattering as a helmet went flying. 

At some point, Vio had forgotten for how long they had already stayed like this, dancing and enjoying the closeness until Shadow decided to speak up, only a whisper in his ear so nobody would get the idea to eavesdrop. 

“Say, Vio-”

“Hm?” he hummed, too caught up in the moment to really gather the energy to speak. 

“You remember that balcony on the Fire Palace? The one where we mounted my dragon before flying all across Hyrule?” Shadow asked.

“What about it?” 

“I just thought-” An almost nervous laughter left the man. “-it’s kind of silly but, I always think back to how beautiful you looked back there, with the moon shining on your face. You looked so… ethereal. It- almost shocked me since I’ve never thought that someone could possibly look this stunning.”

“Really?” Vio replied slowly and languid, a dreamy kind of smile snug onto his lips. 

“Yeah,” Shadow said, the side of his face pressing against Vio’s hair, leaning slightly into him. “It’s a shame we can’t go back there.”

“Why would you?”

“So I can see you like this once again… while we dance, maybe?” Actually, quite a nice thought. Vio could see himself do that, but Shadow was right. There was no Fire Palace anymore. And in the hindsight, it wouldn’t be the most comfortable place to dance at. 

“Better not. It would be too cold during the nights. And the fumes from the volcano wouldn’t make for a comfortable atmosphere, don’t you think?” 

“I suppose you are right about that.”

The last song came to an end, Shadow and Vio carefully unraveling themselves from one another and exchanging a yearning look before the violinist announced the beginning of the lantern ceremony. All the remaining people were ushered out of the tent to participate and maybe light a sky lantern for themselves. But instead of following the main crowd, Shadow was quick to pull the blond to the side once they had picked up their belongings, guiding him to the back entrance of the tent. 

“Where are you going?” Vio asked. “The ceremony will take place on the castle bridge.”

“I know,” he uttered along with a mischievous grin. “But I know a better place to watch the sky lanterns. This way!” 

-

As it turned out, for all the years that Shadow hadn’t been able to attend the festival, he had quietly watched the lantern ceremony from the safe distance of the castle, where the lights weren’t bright enough to harm him. One of the many balconies on the upper floors was high enough to reach over the castle walls and provided a nearly perfect view of the scene. A handful of lanterns first rose to the horizon, insignificant against the dark, dire sky. In the far, far distance, small glowing spheres appeared one by one as well, but only so little still. But a handful quickly turned to hundreds, and hundreds turned to thousands until the whole sky was covered in an ocean of light, making the usual endlessness of it seem small and meaningless. Light and even more light as far as the eye could reach. From up here, it looked even more beautiful, and Vio found himself stunned by the view, unbelieving how this spectacle could become more breathtaking to behold. 

“It’s gorgeous,” he said, not averting his gaze in awe, feeling the arms around him grew tighter as he was pulled closer into his lover’s embrace. Vio’s fur coat rested on them as they sat there on the balcony, shielding themselves from the merciless cold. 

“Yeah, I was pretty amazed too when I saw it for the first time,” Shadow agreed, gently caressing the blond’s arms as he spoke. “But, what’s the whole purpose of this? I mean, it looks pretty, no question about it. Why do you guys do that? Does it have a meaning?” 

“It’s kind of a metaphorical thing. You see, many many years ago, before Hyrule even existed, the Goddess Hylia defeated Demise and ended the war of light against the darkness.” Vio paused, thinking his statement over before deciding to correct himself. “Hypothetically. There is no accurate proof that this is truly historically correct. It’s more of a legend nowadays, but people still hold on to this tradition of honoring the Goddess’ efforts.” 

“So,” Shadow uttered, trying to finish Vio’s trail of thoughts for himself. “It’s kind of a symbol for… casting the darkness away?”

“I suppose you could say so.” 

“Maybe a little exaggerated in execution, though. Honestly, if you had pulled this off during Vaati’s invasion, that would have been enough to get rid of us.” The imagination was quite hilarious, which made Vio laugh in slight bewilderment. 

“As effective as this might have been, I don’t think there would have been enough time to light so many lanterns at once without getting struck by a Bokoblin’s club.” 

“What a story, Vaat getting defeated by lanterns.” 

Both engaged in heartful laughter, taking some time to recover. But when Shadow and Vio did, they looked at each other, cheeks flushed from the cold and laughing alike - and a hint of longing lingered between them. Their eyes did not pull away from each other, captivated, their faces illuminated by the warm lights of the sky lanterns above them. Before Vio could intervene, he smiled, finding himself fascinated by how weirdly handsome Shadow could look in this kind of glow, something that did not seem to fit, but still strangely did. Was it just the loving glint in his red eyes? Or maybe the dazzling, slightly playful smile on his lips? That orange sheen on his pale cheeks? Whatever it was that gripped his interest, that tugged at that little thread that could fill his stomach with butterflies in an instant, he fell for it immediately - and he was in love all over again. 

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” Vio whispered quietly, reaching up to cup Shadow’s face softly, guiding him down towards him until their cold-ridden noses brushed together. “I really need that.” 

A gentle huff brushed his lips, a smile tugging at the corners of Shadow’s mouth. He drew just a little closer, enough to make the blond sense the other’s taste on his tongue as he spoke.

“I’m glad I made you.” 

Vio’s eyes fell shut, and he felt the soft brush of lips against his own, making the cold disappear from his face, replacing it with a pleasant warmth that could compete against the most furious snowstorms. And a feeling so soft and gentle, it made the most terrifying memories a little less scary. 

Seriously though…

… why had he thought that writing letters were better than this? 

\---


End file.
